iGo Down Under
by Yellow Fluffy Cloud of Doom
Summary: Spring break's coming up, and Carly has the flu. Sam's vacation is ruined, but when Freddie asks her if she wants to come with him to Australia, she can't turn it down. Will she kill Freddie in the process? Or find something greater than torture? Seddie!
1. Break!

Damn.

Just when I thought that nothing else could ruin my vacation.

Spring break was supposed to be fun. I was going to relax, eat, hang out with Carly, eat…

Oh, and Freddie had gotten two plane tickets to go to Australia with his mom. I wouldn't have thought she would ever let him go, but I didn't care. A few weeks without him would be awesome.

But then Carly got the flu.

And five days before the vacation, to.

She was puking all over my break, and there was no way to make her stop.

I begged her (and every god in the known universe) to get better.

Only five days until break, my best friend had the flu, the thousands of millions of def deities wouldn't listen to my pleas, and I wouldn't have anything to do for the weeks ahead.

I was making my way to Carly's one day after school, and in the hallway, Freddork came up to me.

"Hey, Sam?"

"What?"

Well… I know you don't have anything planned for the break now that Carly's sick… and, um, my mom is taking care of her, so…"

"Spit it out Benson!"

"Well…" he pulled out two plane tickets from his back pocket, and smiled hopefully.

"I have two tickets. I was wondering if you wanted to come to Australia with me?"

To say the very least, I was shocked.

Nobodies ever offered me something like this. And Australia? With the Great Barrier reef and all that awesome stuff, how could I say no?

I took the ticket.

He said we left in the morning, and told me that I should pack all my stuff.

Hell, miss the last few days of school and go down under?

Even if it was with the nub, I'd survive.

And even the fact that it was with Freddie wasn't to bad either.


	2. First Flight and Throwing Up

My whole body jerked forward, and I felt the bile crawl up and out of my throat and into the paper bag before me.

I leaned back in my chair, and stared up at the dark lights above.

My seat was way too comfortable; the hum of the engines was soothing. The airline was just so…

…Perfect.

"Hey, Freddie," I said. No doubt I was slightly puke drunk. I tilted my head towards his seat by the window.

"Kanga-fly is the _coolest _airline."

It really wasn't called 'Kanga-fly'. But in my delusional state, I really didn't care. And I may have forgotten what it was called.

Suddenly, I felt fingers untangle themselves from my hair. The motion tingles down my spine, and I shivered in pleasure. As soon as it came it was gone, and I wondered what or who that was.

I looked over to the owner of the hands, and realized it was Freddie. The blacklights cast shadows over his face, but I could tell he was tired for some reason…

Then I snapped out of my strange state.

The lights were darker than normal. The flight attendants said at the beginning that they dimmed over the course of the day.

I heard snoring around me. People were sleeping.

I checked the clock that was on my seats screen. It was 3:21, Seattle time.

Yes, they had _Seattle _time. That is kickass.

_Focus, Puckett! Freddie hasn't slept!_

And then another fact drilled through my delusional mind.

I looked over at the dork, and was surprised he was looking at me this whole time.

"Were you… were you holding my hair back?"

Freddie's face showed a familiar emotion… fear.

"Um, well, you know...yes."

I felt my cheeks heat up a bit, but I had no idea why.

It may have been the day-dreamy state I was in, but I nodded.

"…thanks…"

For a second, Freddie looked flustered. But as my answer washed over him, his face twisted into a small grin.

He tried to hide it, but that just made him look… cute.

Did I just call Freddie… cute?

No. I'm just a little crazy from throwing up for two hours straight.

I leaned my head back on my seat.

It was very comfortable

I glanced over at Freddie again, and noticed that his head was tilted back, a small smile on his lips.

I could almost see the hum of the plane as it started to lull him to sleep.

Past him, out the window, I could see the San Francisco sun peaking out from behind the clouds.

A small red light drew my attention from the serene view. The seatbelt sign.

"Crap," I said, and nudged Freddie.

"Hey, we're landing," I whispered softly. Jeez, what's wrong with me?

He fumbled sleepily with his seat belt, and I clicked mine in as well.

The plane tilted from side to side, and I could see the city below. We were supposed to get on another Kanga-fly (whatever) plane once we landed, then it was a straight fifteen hours to Brisbane.

Simple, right?

….Right?

**Sorry I didn't update soon. I was stupid and uploaded to fics at the same time! Now I have to juggle Seddie and Star Wars. I don't normally write Star Wars, but this one just had to be done. I'm sorry to say that I didn't get the chance to go to Australia. I was sick and missed to much school for me to go spring break, so my little sister got to go. It sucked! She got to see my step sister and brother, and I had to stay home. Well, review!**


	3. Of Taco's and Dork's

I stood in front of the small shop in utter… bewilderment.

Than thought how bewildered I was that I knew that word.

Than I remembered what I had been staring at for the past five minutes.

It was, arguably, the greatest thing ever invented in the history of man.

Never before has the genius, power, and complete… _awesome_ness of the human race been portrayed in one object of complete perfection and grace.

As I voiced this to Freddie, he was a lot less impressed.

"Sam, you do know that you're talking about a _taco_, right?"

I sighed, exasperated.

"My dear, dear, unintelligent traveling companion. This is not _just_ a taco," I said with a superior laugh.

"It's _the_ taco."

He rolled his eyes and sighed loudly.

"_Enlighten _me." He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Why, Freddie, you do not see? And I thought you were smart!"

The look on his face was just _begging _me to continue.

"Let me elaborate. Take the shell for example," I gestured towards the food item.

"It is cooked to a perfect golden-brown color, and it's thickness allows the stuffing inside to breath, but not soak into the bread."

I pressed my face to the glass.

When I noticed he wasn't looking, I slammed his head into it beside mine.

"And look at the insides! The perfect amount of lettuce and tomato to please a vegetable lover, but not enough as to upset the balance of this fine delicacy. And look! The meat is juicy, well-done, and generously proportioned. This, my friend," I said, letting him go and rising from the sneeze glass.

"Is a _God_ among food!"

"Esto es un taco." He said sarcastically in Spanish. How appropriate.

"¡Infierno sí!" I said back. What? It was true.

We stood in silence for a few minutes, staring at the taco.

I'm pretty sure it stared back.

An announcement came through the quiet speakers, but above all the chaos of the airport, I recognized it easily.

"Benson party, please report to gate 7." The woman speaking repeated it once more, then the speakers clicked off.

I looked over at Freddie, and apparently he heard it to, because he wasn't there.

I turned around and followed the nerd, who was running wildly, towards gate 7.

We packed very lightly. Our carryon was just our school bags filled with the basic necessities.

You could imagine how fast we could run.

I darted through the crowds of rushing people, weaving around families and jumping the occasional suitcase.

Pretty soon, I caught up with Freddie, who was stumbling over anything in his path and bumping into other parties.

Gate 7 came into view, and Freddie and I sprinted towards the counter. I reached it first, and slammed my ticket down on the table.

"There," I said, slightly out of breath.

Freddie, on the other hand, was wheezing and gulping in air, while he slowly slid the ticket onto the table after mine.

The woman behind the counter smiled sweetly at us, and I swore I could see her positive attitude radiate from her skin.

I would have been disgusted, but then I remembered that this was San Francisco.

"Okay, you must be Mr. and Mrs. Benson! Great! You guys are in E6. You'll get the three seats for yourselves!"

Wait… did she just call me _Mrs. Benson_?

Before I could protest, Freddie grabbed my hand and dragged me towards the gate doors.

He said quick thanks, and led me through the long tunnel towards the plane.

"What the hell, Freddork?" I whisper yelled.

"Listen, Sam, we can't afford to get in trouble. My mom has connections. A lot of connections. If one of us acts up, we will be sent home _immediately_."

I nodded.

We kept walking.

Then I noticed that Freddie still had his hand linked with mine.

God, it feels like the last few days have been filled with weird realizations.

My face heated up, and I saw Freddie's cheeks turn a shade of red beyond the human spectrum.

I ripped my hand away from his, and looked away. He cleared his throat loudly.

The plane came into sight.

It was still very late, but we gathered what little energy we had to hurry down into the plane.

When we got through the doors, I was surprised to see that this plane resembled exactly the one we were on before.

Black lights lined the ceiling, and each seat had it's on screen thingy that played music and movies and stuff like that.

I sat in my seat, and almost immediately after Freddie sat down, he took out his laptop case.

"Jeez, Freddie, can't you wait until the plane takes off to be a nerd?"

He rolled his eyes, but put his laptop bag away.

I leaned my head back, and looked out the window next to my seat.

The sun wasn't up yet, but it was getting less and less darker each minute.

Closing my eyes, I tried to focus on the hum of the engine that I had grown used to, but it wasn't there.

I didn't feel myself fall asleep, but when I opened my eyes next, the hum was there.

I rubbed my eyes sleepily, and checked the time on the screen.

It was 7:32, Seattle time.

That was funny. I didn't remember setting it.

I looked over at Freddie, who was typing away at is laptop.

He still had heavy bags under his eyes, and I noticed that his eyes were bloodshot.

"Hey, Freddie… I thought you slept."

He looked over at me, surprised.

"Oh, well, no, I couldn't sleep. I guess I was to busy finding out where we should go once we land in Brisbane."

I nodded. So he didn't get any sleep? Well, at least he was doing something productive.

"So, what do you have in mind?"

He avoided my gaze, and stared into his computer screen.

"Well, I was thinking about going to Cairns or something like that. Maybe see the Great Barrier Reef."

I stared at him.

"The Great Barrier Reef? Do we have to?" I whined. I really didn't want to go to this reef thing.

I've never even heard of this Barrier reef, and I didn't feel like finding out.

For some reason he looked surprised.

"Why wouldn't you? It's the largest reef in the entire world!"

I snorted. "Yeah right."

"You can see it from outer space."

Oh damn.

That's big.

"Well, I still don't want to go. Cairns is fine, but the reef, no."

He chuckled to himself.

Why was he chuckling?

"Stop chuckling. Why are you chuckling?"

He just sighed.

"Only you would refuse to go see a natural wonder of the world."

Wow. One of the natural wonders of the world.

"What do you mean by that?" I clenched my fists, waiting for the answer that would allow me to use them.

"Well, it doesn't matter. We're seeing the reef, and you are going to come with me."

Wait, what?

"You can't force me."

"Oh yes I can. I have the money, and the room is under_ my _name. Unless you want to sleep outside of the hotel…"

He smirked.

When did Freddie get so bold?

I smirked back.

"Well played, Freddork. Well played."

His smirk turned into a grin, and he continued to type away on his laptop.

Damn him.

Damn him to a taco-less hell.


	4. Twins and Car Jacking

When we landed, I was very surprised to see that we had someone waiting for us on the other side.

Yes, Mrs. Benson, the crazy, lunatic woman she was, had used her many connections to hire a chauffer.

Did I mention that she was an _armed_ chauffer?

Yes, an eighteen year old body guard with a _gun. _

And in my book, there are only three reasons you would carry a gun.

One, you were committing some kind of crime.

Two, it was for safety.

Three, a crazy lady hired you to make sure nothing happens to her precious son on his way to Cairns.

You can imagine that the third one was added the day I saw the girl.

Her name was Holly Goode, and it may have been my imagination, but she had the _worst _case of ADHD I have ever seen.

I mean, she was hyper past the point of squirrel that had just gulped down it's weight in coffee.

Our meeting went like this:

"Hi! My name is Holly Goode! I'm going to be driving you to Cairns! Yaaaaaaaay!"

Her squealing, Australian accent-y voice was deafening, and it didn't do much good for our pounding headaches.

Freddie's more than mine, because he hadn't slept at all on the trip.

Strange, I know.

I was just trying to wrap this fact around my head when another eighteen year old hopped over from an unknown location.

He, like Holly, was tall, had blond hair, blue eyes, and a _very _hyper personality.

"Hey!" he sang out the 'E' in hey. "I'm Hollis Goode! I'm Holly's twin!"

Oh God.

Kill me now.

There were _two _of them?!?

I nudged Freddie in the arm.

He didn't look at me, but I knew he was listening. He was entranced by the two super nova's in front of us.

"Um, Freddie, I think we should get the _hell_ out of here," I muttered into his ear.

He nodded, and while they were chatting (loudly) we tried to slink away.

"Not so fast, guys!" Suddenly, the Goode twins were in front of us, blocking our way.

_Crap._

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

I slammed my head repeatedly against the floor of the car.

The only good thing about this situation was that Ms. Benson had the decency to get us a small, stretch limo.

Thus the possibility of slamming my head on the floor.

How were we going to get out of this one?

I got off the floor, and sat next to Freddie, who was opposite the drivers window.

"Okay. We need a plan. Now."

"Already got one, but it's risky."

I was surprised, but ever since his stunt with the reef, I was getting less and less shocked by his erratic behavior.

"Okay. First, when they stop for gas, we get to the drivers seat."

"Wait. How do you know they're gonna get gas?"

"It's a twenty-two hour drive to Cairns. They'll _need_ to stop for gas."

"Yeah, but _both _of them?"

He paused for a second, thinking it through.

"Okay. We send the remaining twin out to get a snack or something. Then, when they're out, we take off and use my laptop to get to Cairns."

It seemed like a good plan. Now all they had to do was put it into action.

All too soon, the car jerked to a stop.

The driver's window came down, and the face of Hollis popped through.

"Hey! We need to stop for gas," he made a pouting face with his lips. God.

"Is there anything you kiddies need?"

Freddie was the first to react.

"Yeah, actually, we're pretty hungry. Do you think you can get us a few bags of chips?"

Hollis nodded waaaaay to hard. I thought his head would break off his neck and fly out the window.

Just like Freddie predicted, Holly and Hollis jumped out of the car.

Once they were gone, we sprang into action.

Freddie slunk out of the car and into the drivers seat, checking for the key. It was still in.

I got into the passengers seat, and got ready.

Freddie turned the key, and the rumble of the engine caught Holly by surprise before she could ever take the hose off its hook.

We sped out of the lot where the gas station sat, and out onto the highway.

The highway was deserted, and we managed to speed along for a few minutes.

We were home free. Now it was a straight ride to Cairns.

I leant back in my seat.

Looking over at Freddie, I smiled.

This was going to be a pretty good vacation after all.

Freddie drove for ten hours.

_Ten hours_.

Our time consisted of me playing my iPod, me going on Freddie's laptop, and looking out the window and onto the Australian land (It was very cool).

It was amazingly hot. I heard it wasn't usually this bad in the spring, but I think due to the fact that Australia was right on the equator and that a heat wave had just flown in that is was so humid.

It was around 10:00 Australian time, and I was very tired.

Freddie said it was because of the time difference. Here in Australia, the time difference was a day and eight hours.

Freddie didn't seem tired, though. Weird.

It wasn't long before I started to fall asleep…


	5. Sleepless, Empty Eyes

I awoke to the car (or should I say limo) hitting a bump on the road.

My eyes shot open, but as soon as they did, I immediately regretted it.

I was greeted by a very bright light and a pounding headache.

Recently, those have been the only occupants of my welcome wagon into consciousness.

I looked over at Freddie.

And let me tell you something.

He looked _terrible._

I mean, he looked like he was just thrown into space and back a few hundred times.

Wait… what?

Anyway.

He had dark bags hanging under his eyes, which looked very bloodshot.

His face was chalky white, and his hair was ruffled and greasy.

Seriously, he looked like a zombie.

It took me a few seconds to hear that he was mumbling things.

I couldn't quite make anything out, but I knew he was a little out of it.

"Um, Freddie…?" he didn't answer. His eyes half open eyes stayed glued to the road, and he kept muttering incoherent things.

"Freddie!"

"Gaah!" he yelled, and his eyes widened.

"Whoa!" I grabbed the steering wheel from him, and swerved back into the lane we were in.

The car had started drifting, but Freddie seemed shocked.

"Holy crap! What happened? Where am I?"

He took the wheel back, and started hyper ventilating, though I had no idea why.

"Crap, crap, crap, why the _hell _did I drive?"

I could feel him losing consciousness as the seconds went by.

"Freddie, what's wrong with you? Why did you start drifting?"

"I, I, I…"

I saw his eyes droop, and his head started to fall forward.

"I thought I was dreaming…"

He fell asleep.

The car started to drift again, and the car started to vibrate as the tires hit the shoulder.

"Shit!" I slammed my foot over Freddie's, and the car jerked to a halt.

I shook Freddie.

"Wake up, dork!" I shouted, shaking his shoulders even harder.

"Come on! Wake up! Wake-"

"I never fell asleep…" Freddie's voice was horse and bitter.

His eyes opened slowly, and I could tell what he meant by that.

They weren't just blood shot.

They were blank, and the usual warm brown that Freddie's eyes held had turned pale and cold.

I caught my breath.

Something was wrong with Freddie.

Something bad.

I opened the door of the car, and walked to the other side.

Opening the driver's door, I took Freddie by the shoulder's and dragged him into the back seat.

I got into the driver's seat, and looked back at my traveling companion.

"Sorry, Freddie. But I can't let you drive. Now, sleep."

It may have been my imagination, but I heard him mumble something.

"I would if I could…"

I sighed, and pressed on the gas.

It was getting dark, and I needed to get us as far as we could before night fall.

As I drove, I could hear Freddie start to mumble again.

"Sam…" he kept saying my name over and over.

I sighed again.

This was going to be more complicated then I thought.

oOo

"_Holly! What the hell are we gonna do? We lost them!" shouted Hollis, kicking at the rocks on the road._

"_Calm down! We'll just tell the boss that we screwed up. It's no big deal." _

_Hollis grabbed Holly's shoulders. _

"'_It's no big deal'?!? If Ms. Benson finds out we lost her son, she'll kill us!"_

_Holly brushed off his hands. _

"_Fine! I guess we'll just have to rely on Damien for this one."_

"_Damien? That idiot? Ha! We are _dead_!" He cupped his face in his hands. _

_Holly sighed. _

"_It's our only chance. Come on, let's go."_

_She started to walk away from her sulking brother, but he soon followed. _

_oOo_

I pulled the limo onto the shoulder, and once it was set, pulled the key out of the ignition.

Setting it on the dashboard, I climbed out of the drivers seat and into the back.

Freddie was curled up on one of the seats, his eyes half open, mouth moving silently.

I took off my sneakers and sat down next to him.

"Why won't you sleep…?" he didn't hear me.

I didn't know if it was because he was ignoring me or because he didn't know  
I was there.

My eyes started to droop, and despite us being so close to Cairns, I felt sleep start to take over my body.

I placed a hand on Freddie's head, and started stroking it through his hair.

I didn't know why.

It felt _right._

He shivered under my touch, and I could feel him nuzzle his head against my leg, like an animal searching for warmth.

My eyes closed, and I saw checkerboard patterns engulf my vision, pulling me into sleep like a million grabbing hands.

I felt myself sway, and as I fell over and onto Freddie, I saw him.

In my half dream state, I saw him reach his hand out to me.

I took it, and he pulled me into sleep.

The last thing I saw before I fell into the arms of Freddie were his sleepless, empty eyes.

The last words I heard were:

"_Sam… Sam… Don't leave me here alone…"_

Darkness.

oOo


	6. Wild Australia

Now, you may be wondering why I kept having these strange feelings, the majority of them concerning a certain Tech Nerd.

To be honest, I was wondering as well.

Well, at seventeen, you apparently start to feel even more…

…Violent feelings.

Not _violent_ violent. I mean a good type of violent.

And as soon as I placed a finger on that feeling.

That one feeling that stood out from the rest.

The one that made me feel pleasure, pain, and a glorious mixture of the two.

As I was dreaming that I was in Freddie's arms, my head in his chest, I felt consciousness start to tug on my back.

I nuzzled closer to dream-Freddie, but I couldn't escape the vacuum of awake-ness.

_No. I don't want to leave..."_

But no matter how good the dream is, no matter how much you want it to go on forever, you need to wake up sooner or later.

I wanted it to be later, but you don't always get what you want.

My eyes shot open, and I joined reality.

I was warm.

Way to warm.

I noticed that there was some sort of blanket wrapped around me. But it wasn't a blanket.

It was Freddie's jacket.

I ran my finger's through it's warm fibers, and rubbed it across my cheek.

Wait.

_Freddie._

I looked around the limo, but he wasn't inside.

Peering through the tinted glass, I saw that he was outside, leaning against the back of the car.

I crawled sleepily over the seat and, opening the door, I slid out of the car.

I walked over to where Freddie was standing, and leaned beside him.

"Why didn't you tell me you hadn't slept? I could have punched your lights out for you." I joked.

He didn't think it was that funny.

A long silence ensued.

"It wasn't just last night and the plane ride. I haven't slept in two weeks."

_Holy shit._

"Two weeks? I never noticed…"

"If I was gone, you wouldn't notice." He grumbled.

I leapt in front of him before he could walk away.

"Of course I would notice! I'm your friend. How could I not notice? Don't be so… so…"

I struggled to finish my sentence.

"…Emo!"

_Smooth, Puckett. Smooth. _

I heard him snicker.

But it wasn't a mean snicker. It was a happy snicker.

I stared into his tired eyes, amazed that he could laugh like this in his condition.

A sad smile came across my lips, and I watched as he chuckled softly.

He wasn't cute now.

He was serious looking, yet care-free.

I had never noticed how he had filled out over the years.

He was now a few inches taller than me, and his shoulders were broader.

He looked handsome.

_Stop it! You're just making things even more complicated than they all ready are!_

But I couldn't stop.

He looked down at me, and I could feel his tired eyes staring into my soul.

He started to lean.

Much like that night at the fire escape, I could feel my heart speed up rapidly.

_Ka-thud._

_Ka-thud._

_Ka-thud._

_Slam!_

We both froze.

That was not my heart, but it was coming from the trunk.

_Slam!_

Freddie jumped back from the back of the car.

There was definitely something in there.

I looked up at him, and nodded.

I walked over to the trunk, and slowly started to press down on the release button.

I moved quickly now, and lurched it open.

Something sprang out of the trunk, and I heard Freddie let out a pained yelp.

I spun around, and saw a boy standing there, with a wooden katana thing planted on Freddie's head.

He lifted the wooden blade slowly, and I could see the golf ball sized bump it made.

Freddie winced.

"Hey! What the hell was that for? And who are you?!" I yelled.

A lot of strange things have happened in my time.

But having a young boy jump out of a car's trunk and hit Freddie on the head with a wooden sword?

That took the cake.

He stood up straight, and I realized just how young he looked.

To be hones, he resembled a ten year old kid.

"I am Damien Goode," he said, and he finally turned towards me so I could see his face.

His hair was shoulder length and dark brown, and his skin was tan.

He spoke with an Australian accent, but what really caught my eyes were is own eyes.

One was black.

And the other was blue.

He struck a very…

Comical pose.

"And I am a sword master!"

Despite the situation, I burst out laughing.

"You… are even more of a dork than Freddie!" I chocked.

But it was true!

He was such a _dork!_

I looked over at Freddie, only to find that he wasn't there anymore.

He had slunk around to the driver's seat, and was motioning for me to follow.

I sneaked into around Damien, and into the passenger's seat, and Freddie started the car.

He floored the gas, and soon we were zipping down the highway.

A pregnant pause ensued.

"Holy…"

"…Crap." I finished for him.

Another pause.

"Crap is a bad word…"

_Shit!_

The car jerked painfully to a stop, and once it settled, I spun around towards the back.

Only to find Damien staring right into me. His different colored eyes were frightening in contrast, and a small bubble of anger well up inside me.

I leapt out of the car, and opening the back door, dragged Damien out.

I spun him around, and let go, sending him sprawling over the pavement on the shoulder.

"What the _hell _are you doing in our car?!" I yelled.

He scrambled to his feet, his sword at the ready.

"I know you think that all Goode's are bad, but all I want is…"

He didn't get to finish his sentence because I had already lunged at him, screaming.

I gave him a swift kick in the face, and his sword was thrown into the air.

I caught the piece of wood in my hand, and started to swing it around.

I knocked him on the side of the head with the side of the wooden blade, and he was thrown back, dazed.

"Listen! I'm not with the twins! I think I can help you!" he yelled, trying to escape another blow from his own sword.

"What do you want?"

He paused, judging whether or not I was worthy.

"I'm looking for a squirrel." I froze.

_What?_

"A _squirrel?_" I half shouted, half asked.

"Yes. His name is Cornelius."

I ran into the passenger's seat.

"Floor it!" I yelled at Freddie. He obeyed.

We were zooming down the highway before he could hop up.

It was only after I made sure he wasn't in the back that I spoke.

"Holy shit! Is _everybody _in this damn country _insane?!" _

oOo

**Sorry for not updating! School just started and I had to get surgery today. Yep. On my foot. I had to get some 'happy juice' (as the nurses call it. They were nice.) to knock me out. After they got the thing out, I got to keep it. So, please enjoy my OC Damien. In the next chapter, meet Cornelius. Bye! **


	7. Imperfect Taco's, Imperfect Confession's

**I love your reviews! I love you guys! OMG! Enjoy! Oh, and I decided to give up on the whole time thing. I'll tell you if it's day or night. I hate doing those calculations. **

**oOo**

A pang of remembrance shot through me.

Well, two actually.

The first being that I never learned why Freddie was not sleeping.

The second being that we almost kissed.

For the second time.

And for some reason, I wasn't angry. Well, I knew what reason it was.

I was, whether I wanted to or not, in love with the dork.

But first things first.

"You never told me why you couldn't sleep." I stated lightly, resting my head against my seat.

A pregnant silence ensued.

He kept driving, and I just waited.

I saw him open his mouth like he was going to speak, but he closed it just as fast.

I sighed.

Again.

I had sighed so many times; it had almost lost its effect.

Almost.

The dark night had cleared away the highway a bit, and I was happy that we were starting to go faster.

I thought about what almost happened.

Looking over at him, I noticed that he was almost a head taller than me.

Well, what was I gonna do?

Anyway, I was still stronger.

_Focus, Puckett! You need to get an answer out of him!_

But I was distracted by something even more sinister than Freddie's growth.

The glowing purple sign lit up the dark night, and I almost cried when I read the giant white words printed on the front.

Taco Bell.

I didn't even know they had Taco Bells in Australia.

I didn't wait to ask Freddie to pull over.

I grabbed the wheel, and steered us sharply towards the exit.

Freddie yelped, and tried to battle the wheel away from me.

He succeeded, but only because the position I had been in was very awkward and also because we were already there.

I laughed in triumphant joy, and got out of the car.

At the last second, I leaned back in.

"Bring your wallet," I said and shut the door behind me.

I could have heard Freddie groan from a mile away.

"Here's your fourth-meal," said the girl at the counter.

I inwardly groaned.

Fourth-meal? Really?

And I thought that that inside out burger had bad names.

I grabbed the tray and hurried to our seats, Freddie's wallet in between my fingers.

I sat down and through the leather object at his face, sighing happily when I heard a satisfying yelp.

He tucked it away in his jean pockets, glaring at me.

Our seat at the booth gave us a great view of the night sky, and I thought it would have looked a little romantic if Freddie wasn't here.

Or maybe it would have been if all of these weird things hadn't been happening to us.

I unwrapped my taco, sighing again.

"This looks pretty good, but it can't compare to airport taco."

I said it more to myself than to Freddie, but he groaned loudly anyway.

I took the first close to perfect bite, closing my eyes and savoring the beef and melted cheese.

I set it down and swallowed.

Freddie didn't order anything, but he was steadily sipping out of MY Pepsi.

I scowled at him, and grabbed it out of his hands, sucking on the straw and the sweet liquid inside.

I could taste his saliva on it.

This scared me. I mean, how did I know what his saliva tasted like? But that night on the fire escape washed over me, and I remembered. What? It was my first kiss. I wasn't gonna be all prude-ish and not use a _little_ tongue.

I smirked at the thought.

"What's so funny?" asked Freddie, angry but a little curious.

I felt my face heat up a bit, and I blushed even harder when Freddie noticed.

"N-nothing," I stuttered. I mentally face palmed.

_Pull yourself together, Puckett!_

I sighed _again. _

Down to business.

"Freddie, lets play a game," I said, a sly smile on my lips.

I could see him gulp from across the table.

"What kind of game?" his voice was slightly afraid of what I had in store for him, and that made my smile grow a little wider.

"It's simple. I ask you a question, and you have to answer it, no questions asked."

"No questions asked?"

"No questions asked." He gulped again.

A pregnant silence ensued.

"Fine. But only if I can ask you one first."

I took another bite of my taco, finishing it off.

"Sound good to me." I was aware that sprinkled him with little bits of meat and taco filling as I spoke.

He wiped off his face, and I laughed, thus spraying him with more food bits.

I started to unwrap my next food item: a quite appetizing beef burrito.

As I munched carefully on my fourth-meal (it was a catchy name, I had to give them that) he stared at me intently. No doubt he was thinking of a question.

"Why do you eat so much?" he stated after I finished off my second food stuff and was moving onto my third.

I stopped mid chew, and slowly swallowed my mouthful of taco number three.

A small sigh escaped my nose as I thought about my words carefully before answering.

"I'm hungry," I shrugged. I tried to ignore the look he gave me by focusing on my taco.

"Sam." He said sternly, and grabbed the taco from my hands.

"Hey!" I protested, but he held a hand up to stop me.

I groaned.

"Fine. But you should know that _this_ is nothing." I gestured towards the pile of taco bell on the tray.

He gave me a skeptical look.

"_Nothing?" _his voice matched his face.

I nodded.

"I am, believe it or not, Anorexic." I didn't lie. I really was. Ever since I was thirteen I had decided to cut down on the snacking (by a lot. I used to eat like a horse. Well, a horse on steroids. I eat like a horse now.) and was dangerously thin.

"I was saved from malnourishment by the discovery of _Fast Food._" I held up another taco from my pile like I was holding a baby Jesus.

I even made choir sounds.

He groaned. No doubt he thought I was lying.

So typical.

"My turn."

I tapped my finger against my chin, almost comically.

"Oh, here's a _zinger. _Why the hell have you not been sleeping?"

He froze.

I waited, patiently, for the silence to thaw and answer out of him.

It took about a minute, but he finally gave into my merciless glare.

"Alright. The reason I haven't been sleeping?"

I nodded.

"I have insomnia."

My mind went blank. I have _never _heard of anything like that. So I said this.

"Gazuntite."

He sighed.

"No. I mean I'm and Insomniac." He saw my still blank face and groaned.

"It's when I can't sleep! I can't interpret dreams from reality, and it is caused by emotional stress."

I made an 'o' with my mouth.

Suddenly a wave of realization washed over me. Again.

_Emotional stress? Was it because of me?_

My breath caught.

What if it was?

My eyes got wide.

I needed to ask another question.

"I h-have another question." I chocked out.

He tried to protest, but I cut him off.

"Is your insomnia because of me?" I didn't ask an answer from him. I demanded it. I was almost demanding it of myself.

He paused, thinking.

"Not because of you. It's because of something _we_... did." He cleared his throat and looked away.

I thought.

Then it struck me.

Was he talking about the…

I gulped this time.

…kiss?

"Does it have to do with the thing we agreed never to speak of?"

"Yes. It has to do with the thing we agreed _never _to speak of."

"Never?"

"_Never._"

I paused.

"Until now?"

"Until now- what?" I nodded.

But despite myself, my breathing hitched.

This was dangerous territory. Like walking over a mine field.

Another pause, this one longer than the last.

I must have stepped on one of the mines, because I exploded.

Figuratively speaking.

"I liked it. A lot. More than I should have."

I think it sort of sent of a chain reaction towards Freddie, because he started gushing as well.

"Same. I wanted it to last longer than eight seconds."

"I know this sounds cliché, but I felt sparks."

"I did to, but they were more like fireworks."

"Like Kingda Ka at Six Flags."

"Ten thousand volts of electricity."

"Like an atomic explosion, but in a good way."

"The reason I couldn't sleep was because I kept having night terrors about that night."

"The reason I pick on you is because I don't want to admit that I have any feelings other than friend-hate towards you."

"I hit on Carly for the same reason."

We both simultaneously took in a sharp breath.

There. It was out there.

All our pent up feelings.

But now we needed to decide what to do with them.

I was blushing furiously by now, and my breath was shaky.

His face was a dark crimson, and I would have found that cute if not for the emotions floating around him, blocking my view.

I was afraid at first that he would reject what I had said. But now, that fear had died down to a crazy nervous that made me want to curl up in a ball and die.

And he felt the same way.

We decide then that those feelings would never leave this Taco Bell.

Well, he decided. I agreed half-heartedly.

I mean, we pretty much _just _admitted that we like liked each other.

You would think that would be something _special._

But, as we left the fast food eatery, I made another decision.

That as long as I was walking through this mine field, I would do it hand in hand with Freddie.

Even if that made it all the more dangerous.

oOo

**Hope you liked it! Review and I will give you each a heart internet HUG!**


	8. Australia or Not

**OMG! Virtual hugs for ALL OF YOU! I love your reviews! I feel so loved! I have NEVER gotten so many reviews, so I've decided to just get on with the story! Oh! And I might change the rating a bit, because I plan on putting some slight 'graphic' scenes. Don't be scared. It's nothing that will poison your young minds to severely. Not that they aren't poisoned already. :D **

**Yellow**

**oOo**

We had pulled up (much to my dismay) to a nice, four star hotel that we found using Freddie's laptop and a few hour of messing around Cairns.

The reason I didn't like it was that it was _way _too nice.

It was one of the Hilton hotels with the TV and queen sized bed, a bathroom with two (two, count em', _two) _sinks.

It was better than my house.

Hell, I was sure that even one of those run down motels that we passed by were better than my house.

So, you can imagine how small and poor I felt walking into the lobby and making my way up to the front desk.

Freddie was by my side, and did most of the talking.

"Hi, can we have a room please?" he asked in a rather tired voice.

I tore my eyes away from the amazing decor to see the woman look a bit taken aback by Freddie's appearance.

I'm sure he looked even more vampire-ish in the golden light of the Hilton.

But it was gone almost as soon as it had occurred.

"Alright then. How many nights do you plan on staying with us?" she said in a sickening sweet tone.

He told her one night, and I gave a glare to a janitor who was mopping up a spill in the breakfast area.

I zoned out their hotel talk. Freddie filled out a few papers, and after I had finished my staring contest with the custodian (he was a willing participant), she brought me back to reality with a very…

…aggravating comment.

"Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Benson. Enjoy your stay at the Hilton!"

I chocked out a small 'what?' but Freddie just pulled me into the elevator area.

He pressed the button, and dragged me through the doors as soon as they opened.

I was still a little shocked, but I snapped out of it when he gave me an intense look.

He was getting better at that.

"What?" I asked, although I knew what.

I had acted like what happened at the Taco Bell had never happened.

"You know what. Sam, I don't want what we said at the Taco Bell to just be that. 'What we said at the Taco Bell'. Is that all it was to you?"

To be honest, I was hurt.

Of course I didn't think that. It was so much more than 'what we said at the Taco Bell'. It was the basis that our relationship had stood on, whether known to it or not.

I stared down at my converse. My arms were crossed across my chest, and my hair fell in curtains around my face.

"No…" I whispered.

I didn't know what else to say.

I felt a hand on my back, and looked up at Freddie, surprised.

His sepia eyes were warm and inviting, and I fell head over heels into them.

_Like a warm, chocolate pool._ I wondered, suddenly growing hungry.

But it wasn't food I hungered for.

It was for someone to return the emotions I was feeling as I stared into his deep brown eyes.

My breath had caught.

I had never known how amazing Freddie's eyes were…

_Ding!_

The elevator doors opened as we came to the seventh floor.

I hurriedly walked out, and as I made my way down to our room (7-E), I could have cried.

It was so painful to know that there was something there, and yet be so unsure.

But who said love _wasn't _painful?

oOo

We had decided, instead of have one of us sleep on the floor, to share the bed.

Only he would have his head were my feet were, and vice versa.

I walked out of the bathroom, dressed in my pajamas, which were made up of a pair of boxer shorts I had stolen from Freddie and an old T-Shirt.

I slid under the covers, and looked over at Freddie, who was sitting on the side of the bed opposite me.

"Freddie?" I asked, after a shot pause.

"Yeah?"

I wanted to ask him if he loved me like I did him.

I wanted to ask him if he was stressed out, and why.

I wanted to be there for him, make him feel better, make him…

…sleep.

But I couldn't bring myself to say those things, even though I wanted to. And, by the look on his face, I though he wanted to as well.

"…Never mind…" I muttered, and rolled onto my side.

We both sighed loudly, at the same time.

I reached over to turn off the lights.

Once they were off, I felt a little better.

I loved the dark; it was always better for me.

I always thought that if I couldn't see my problems, they would go away.

But my problem didn't only rely on sight to be noticed.

I could hear his steady breathing.

I could feel his presence, even though he was a few inches away (the thought made me blush).

I could smell his scent. A mixture of cinnamon and medicine cabinet. It was a good mix.

I shut my eyes tightly.

I could feel them start to water, but I didn't let out the small tears that threatened to fall.

Before I knew it, which I don't think I did, I was asleep, much to my vain protests.

oOo

I awoke, the room still dark. It was still the middle of the night.

Looking around the dark room, my eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness, I could make out the figure of Freddie, still on the other side of the bed.

He was curled up into a ball, but I could tell by the rise and fall of his back that he wasn't asleep.

_Oh God, Freddie!_

I forgot about his insomnia.

How could I have?

I crawled over to where he was on the bed, and slowly put a hand on his back.

He flinched slightly, and raised his head slowly.

He looked even worse than before in the dark.

I hugged him to my chest, trying to snap him out of his dream like state.

He looked at me, unsure whether or not I was real.

"Sam…" he kept muttering my name over and over again, like a broken record.

A broken record that I so desperately wanted to fix.

I guided him under the covers, and grabbed a pillow from the other side, positioning it under his head.

He was on his side now, facing me. I lay onto mine, opposite him, our faces only inches apart.

His eyes were blank and unstaring; mine filled with worry and fear.

I slowly brushed my lips against his, pulling back after I felt a slight prickle of shock between us.

Like the first time.

Like happy explosions.

Like the fourth of July.

He seemed to respond, ever so slightly, to this action.

"Sam…" he whispered through his stupor.

"Yes?" I said, the tears dripping from my eyes freely now.

"Am I… dreaming?" he asked.

A pregnant silence followed.

"…No." I whispered shakily, again.

A small smile tugged at his lips.

He nuzzled his head into mine.

His lifeless eyes started to close, every so slowly.

"…Good…" he mouthed.

His eyes shut.

His chest rose and fell slower now, his breathing now deeper with the sleep that had engulfed him.

_Freddie is asleep._

The word floated silently around my head, growing quieter and quieter as I started to drift to sleep as well.

And I knew that Freddie wasn't going to have anymore sleepless nights.

Because I was going to be there for him, Australia or not.

oOo

**Hope you liked it! I know it's shorter, but don't worry. Next chapter will be extra long, and I will add in the GREAT BARRIER REEF! Yeah! PLEASE REVIEW! **

**Yellow**


	9. Like Pop Rocks and Soda

I awoke to the sound of slow, even breaths and the hotness of breath on my forehead. I felt my eyes slowly flutter open, and I almost wished I hadn't.

Freddie's sleeping face was only an inch away, and for once, it didn't look tired or zombie-like.

His brown hair was tousled and softly brushed against the bridge of my nose. I had never noticed before, but his hair had slightly grown out. And it was slightly curly when it wasn't matted down by water.

One of his hands was wrapped around my waist, holding me closer to his chest, while the other lay between our resting heads, fingers slightly curled.

He was so warm. Like my own personal space heater.

I sighed.

If you have ever been in that position, where you really want to stay, but you know it will ruin something wonderful if you do, then you know how I felt then.

I could either stay in Freddie's arms, and let him wake up to the sight of me smiling and telling him that I am so deeply, positively, extraordinarily in love with him, at the risk of destroying what little walls and boundaries I had put up to preserve our friendship.

Or I could leave now and save my heart-felt confessions for another day.

It broke my heart, but I, reluctantly, chose the latter.

oOo

It had taken a surprising amount of effort to get out of Freddie's death grip.

I had to substitute myself for a pillow just to squirm my way out of his arms.

And he held that pillow in a way that is only reserved for lovers.

After once again feeling a small part of my heart break off and shatter into a few billion pieces (cliché, but I never knew how true it was) I finally brought myself to change in the bathroom and get downstairs.

My dark green capris and navy blue t shirt was thrown on in my hurry to find the dinning area. I needed bacon.

I entered the fancy room and was greeted by strange glares.

I could tell that these people were tourists, and rich ones at that.

Why they were judging me I had no idea.

I grabbed a plate from the buffet and slowly started to pile bacon onto it. I found some poached eggs and helped myself, adding to the potluck. A few pieces of toast and ham slices later, I found myself a nice table in the corner. I sat in a chair, so as my back was facing the other dinners, and started to chow down.

I ate slower than usual. I couldn't stop thinking about _him._ The way he breathed. The way his hair shot out in every direction except the way that would make him look like the son of a mad woman. The way he slightly mumbled in his sleep.

I finished my breakfast feast, and reclined back into the fancy chair.

Sighing, I ran my tongue across my perfect teeth to check for not-so-perfect food stuffs that may have gotten caught.

I felt a presence behind me, but before I could react, I felt his arms wrap around me.

Freddie's arms.

"Hey," he said lightly, pecking me on the cheek.

I smiled, despite my troubled mind.

He pulled me out of my chair, and led me out of the dinning room by his hand.

I felt the stares I was getting subside, and as I glanced back, I even saw a few people smile at the sight of us.

A small grin made its way onto my face.

He led me into an elevator, and pressed the button for our floor.

I looked over at him.

He looked over at me.

I bit my lip.

He shuffled his bare feet on the sequenced rug.

"I…" we both started at the same time. Oh, how cliché.

How I wanted to know what he thought. It was almost to much to bear. I mean, he could come up behind me and kiss me on the cheek, but I am still unsure as to what he's feeling.

It's odd.

We have technically confessed our love to each other, but haven't even said the word.

Well, we didn't say anything like "You go first", or say the same thing simultaneously like we did a few seconds ago. We stayed quiet.

I hated the silence.

oOo

The boat bobbed up and down on the Australian waves. We had set off for the Great Barrier Reef in silence, keeping a distance of at least a foot.

I was slightly fuming about him forcing me to go ninety miles off the coast to some stupid underwater attraction.

But it was mostly because of our little silent feud.

Everybody on the boat was a couple. And what made it worse; they wouldn't shut up to the tourists about how the reef always 'Brings couples closer'.

What bull.

I sat next to Freddie (keeping in mind the boundary) cross-legged and bare foot. My snorkel and mask was kept around my neck, as was the dork's.

I huffed and glared at him pointedly.

"I hate you for this."

"I recall another time you said you hated me… I think it was in a fire escape?"

I couldn't help my face flushing red.

With a growl, I punched him in the shoulder. Hard.

He recoiled from me, thus widening the gap between us by another foot.

I snickered.

Freddie was an asshole sometimes, but he was a funny one.

We stayed quiet for the rest of the boat ride, which wasn't that long. It jerked to a stop about a minute after.

I gulped. We were there. Ninety miles out from the coast of Cairns and all for some dumb reef.

I listened to the directions the dive instructor gave us without really hearing. I knew how to snorkel, but I was to busy thinking about what was going to happen once I went under water.

What if it was as amazing as Freddie had described it? What if it wasn't and Freddie wasted seventy of his newly acquired pounds to get us on this boat? Although something inside of me doubted that it wasn't absolutely amazing, it helped to think of every possible outcome to console my pride.

I hadn't realized that the guy had stopped speaking, and Freddie was currently sitting on the bench, pulling on his flippers.

Heh. Flippers.

Sitting down next to him, I dragged my own out from under the seat and slipped my feet inside the rubbery shoes.

Following Freddie, I adjusted my mask and snorkel on my head and walked backward towards the edge of the boat, so as not to trip over my own feet.

He glanced at me through the clear lenses.

I glared back. We looked so stupid in all of this equipment. It was almost hard to believe that it was our window to view the underwater world.

He nodded, and turned around slowly, diving perfectly into the warm water.

I followed suit.

Resurfacing, I took a large breath through my mouth and, ignoring my snorkel, dove down into the clear blue abyss.

What I saw there is almost impossible to describe.

But, taking in mind the story value, I will continue.

I was greeted by a barrage of color.

Corals of all different shapes, sizes, and colors. Exotic fish and other ocean wildlife scampering through the thick water, like mice through jello. Small caves in the multicolored rock fell home to many poking and curious heads, trying to get a glimpse of the strange visitors before retreating back into their hideout in fear.

My frozen breath caught in my throat as I saw a large reef shark round about a giant patch of coral. I smiled as it swam about the water, its eyes slightly lingering on mine for a split second. The way it filled me with a burning fear and a slight admiration for such an amazing animal surprised me. I had never felt that before.

Schools of strange fish swirled around the entire scene, adding a sense of controlled chaos to the already wild residents.

It was probably the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I had lived in a Seattle slum, and compared to the crappy public pools that lay subject to putrid flotsams I would rather not discuss, this was like an amazing dream.

And my searing lungs were waking me up. I shot back to the surface, gulping in the salty air in big, deep breaths. I ripped the mask and snorkel from my face and it lay resting on my neck as I floated there on my back.

I felt Freddie floating along next to me, his loose arms scrapping against mine. I turned my head, and came face to face with his unbelievably brown eyes.

_Like a chocolate ocean._

I didn't silence the thought.

Only his bright smile drew my attention away from there sepia goodness.

"So. Just another dumb reef, huh?" he smirked, but not in a mean way. It was more like a fun way.

I grinned back. "Okay. This is probably the only time you will hear me say this, but… I was wrong. You were right. It was amazing." I said the last part and smiled wistfully, like I was recalling a fond memory.

He grinned, and I felt his hand tangle into mine.

The salt water softly crashed against our floating bodies, and in that moment, we took a simultaneous deep breath.

We both swiveled around, and at the same time, dove into the warm Australian waters.

Ten feet under, still holding hands.

Fifteen feet under, we were still going down without our masks to see.

Twenty feet under, into a large coral and rock cavern of some sort.

We stopped, fish swimming in and out of the little safe place.

I looked into his light brown eyes, contorted by water but still visible. He started to lean in, and soon, our lips met in another explosion, this one more passionate than the last.

_Like pop rocks and soda,_ I thought as Freddie deepened the kiss by pulling my head closer with his hand, which had been tangled in my blond hair, his other still locked with my hand.

I smiled into the kiss.

oOo

**I am sooo sorry I haven't updated! It's just school being a blood sucking ass hole. **


	10. Just Call it Love

**I hope you love this little chapter! I added something special just for you! Review!**

You know that feeling you get when you have a really good thing right in front of you, but it's taken away by something horrible?

It's like a twisting in your stomach that fills you with this uncomfortable fear. And what's worse, you know that something bad is going to happen, like something great and wonderful might wither and die.

That's how I felt when I looked through the glass into our hotel lobby, and saw two tall, blond haired people talking to the worker at the front desk.

They were showing her a picture. She looked right at us, pointed, and then the fear multiplied by ten as I met the blue eyes of the Goode twins.

I froze. Freddie, who had been holding my hand, stopped as well. "Sam, what's… wrong…" he trailed off as he followed my gaze into the Hilton, and he too saw the armed chauffeurs, who were no making their way quickly towards us.

"Oh shit. Come on, Freddie! We have to go!" I sprinted over to our car, Freddie being dragged behind.

I got to the car, trying to open the driver's seat door, but it was too late. The twins had stopped at the edge of the curb, and were carefully walking towards us.

"Alright Sam, calm down. We're not going to hurt you."

I growled, ready to attack.

But somebody beat me to it.

"Well, well, well. Holly and Hollis. You may not be allowed to hurt your charges, but unfortunately, _I _am allowed to hurt my _siblings._"

I looked up, and there he was. The brown haired, mismatched eyed ten year old who, with his wooden sword drawn, was ready to pounce.

"Damien! Don't be an idiot! Help us get them back!"

"So you can lock me in the trunk again? Yeah right! Like I'll fall for that one a third time."

Holly muttered, "Fourth." But before Hollis could open his mouth again, Damien had already leapt from the car.

It was an amazing feet for a ten year old, and that was just the jump alone. When he landed, he rolled to his back, and from the ground, he swiped his sword underneath their feet before they could blink.

While the twins were on the ground, Damien yelled, "Go!" and continued to knock them down, although one could tell he wasn't trying to hurt them. They may have been assholes to him, but they were still family, and it showed in his blows.

I jumped into the drivers seat, and Freddie ran around into the passengers. We each slammed our doors, and I jammed the key into the ignition. The engine roared to life, and I slammed on the gas. The car shot backwards, and I maneuvered it out of the narrow parking space with ease.

"I didn't know you could drive like that!" he yelled over the screeching tires as I gunned out of the parking lot and down the highway, towards Cairns.

I smiled.

So long, strange feeling.

oOo

It was pretty late when I stopped driving. I had pulled over on the side of the street by some sort of tavern. A sign above the door way said, 'Cock and Bull Tavern" in big red letters.

I snickered at the title, and when Freddie noticed this, he noticeably rolled his eyes at me.

I gave him a look that said,_ "I don't care what you think, that's funny.". _

We both walked into through the doors, unnoticed by the occupants of the bar, who were all cheering and clapping at some band who were rocking out on the stage located at the back of the building.

I started towards an empty table in a corner, but Freddie stopped me, and started leading me towards the bar.

"Dude, we're not allowed to sit here. Don't you have to be twenty-one?"

I sat down in a seat next to him.

"This is Australia, not America. The legal drinking age here is eighteen."

"Yeah, but we're no eighteen!"

He gave me a look.

"I am. My birthday was like two weeks ago. Don't you remember?"

I returned his gaze. "What do you think?" I retorted sarcastically.

He chuckled a little, and then returned to the bar. A girl of about eighteen came over to us, cleaning out a mug with a rag. Slinging it over her shoulder, she placed the glass on the tabletop.

"What can I do for ya'?" She said, a hint of an Irish accent dripping from her voice.

"Can I get two Cascades?" said Freddie smoothly.

The girl winked at him. "Coming right up, hun." She said, reaching under the table for two more mugs. I felt a pang of anger rise up in me, although I didn't know why. I ignored it.

"Are you and your girlfriend Americans?" she chatted as she filled up each mug with the brown liquid.

"Yep. Is it that obvious?" She giggled.

"It's just your accent. I should know, I have an American boyfriend. He's up there playin' with the band." She pointed up at the stage, towards a red haired guy with sea green eyes, who was slamming on the drums like a maniac. The anger vanished almost as quickly as it had come.

Placing the full mugs on the bar table, she sighed. "He's here on business. It sucks that he has to go back to Seattle next month."

"Seattle? We're from Seattle."

"Holy shit! That's awesome!"

Over at the other end of the table, a drunken guy was yelling for her to get over there and fill up his glass.

"Well, I gotta go. See ya' later," she said, and quickly made her way over to the intoxicated man.

I stared at the glass of beer before me.

It wasn't that I had never drunk before. My mom left beer around the house all the time. It's just that I had never really drunk in a bar. You were supposed to be twenty-one to even touch alcohol.

_Ah, screw it. _I picked up the mug and took a sip of the bitter liquid. It tasted good.

I saw Freddie gulp down another sip of his own drink, and I smiled at him.

"I love Australia." I said, and he smirked at me.

"I love Australia to."

I grinned even more, and took another drink of my beer.

oOo

When we got out of the tavern, the darkness of the night was being touched by a thin veil of light.

We were pretty sober, me more than Freddie, even though I had more than him. I mean, it wasn't everyday your eighteen year old friend got you free beer in _Australia._

But that didn't mean he wasn't tipsy as hell.

I grabbed his shoulder before he could fall on his back.

Steadying him, I said, "Alright, Freddie, lets get you in the car." I guided him to the back, navigating him onto the seat so he was lying down.

He started to giggle uncontrollably, but suddenly stopped.

"Why am I laughing? Why does my head feel like crap?" he said, his headache evident in his slurred voice.

"Maybe it has to do with the fact that you had about three beers." I laughed to him, poking him in the chest.

He curled up on the black leather, a towel we had bought from the hotel store draped around his shoulders.

He stared at me through tired eyes. Not like his zombie eyes, but like his I just had a fun time partying in Australia eyes. And I sighed.

It was the type of sigh you would sigh when there was a moment worth sighing about.

This was one of those sigh-worthy moments.

I sat across from him, our eyes not leaving each others. His soft brown irises engulfed my cold blue ones, and for a moment I worried that he felt a shiver of cold every time he saw them, much like the tingling warmth that crawled up my spine when I saw his.

And there it was.

My deepest fears, my deepest dreams, my own hopes and wishes of Freddie and I to be like we were now, except not confined to the outback, showed on my skin, my face, and my soul.

"I think I'm in love with you." I said the words before I could even think about stopping them, and I was overjoyed.

I caught my breath, waiting for his reaction.

One second.

Two.

A third.

A smile slowly started to spread across his lips, and his golden brown eyes seemed to glow through the dim light of the dawn through the tinted windows.

That was the pinnacle moment of my life, I thought. My burden, the one I had been carrying for this entire trip and most likely longer, had been lifter because of him.

Fredward Benson, enemy in the States but love Down Under.

"I think I am to." He said.

We were on auto-pilot. Both rising towards each other simultaneously, torso's slamming against each other, bridged by our lips.

The same explosions, this time much more immediate.

Like a super nova blazing in my face, like pure ecstasy.

One of his hands ran through my hair, another sliding up my leg, sending shivers of bliss up my spine.

My fingers tangled in his brown hair, and he pulled me deeper into the kiss as our bodies crashed to the wide floor of the car.

I barley felt the pain; the pleasure was too great. We stayed together, Freddie's weight comfortably resting against mine.

Our lips separated, and I felt him placing kisses up and down my neck. I moaned slightly as he sucked at the crook of my neck, down towards my color bone. I felt his hand start to pull at my shorts.

He stopped, and picked his head up from my neck. His eyes seemed to ask whether or not to continue.

My fast breath and slightly parted lips gave him the answer he needed.

As he started up again, any regrets I had about the decision disappeared. I realized then that that was what I wanted, more than anything in the world.

I felt our bodies crash together, like one being, on entity that revolved around each other. Like Ying and Yang, joined at the hip, our souls linked through some sort of intimate connection.

I knew that what they said about people being like magnets was true. He was the North Pole, and I was the South Pole. We made for each other; we completed each other. This was our proof.

That was true pleasure, I was sure of it. I would never feel that happiness again with another person.

And when we parted, it left me with a feeling of deep loss. We had, and although it seemed cliché, made love.

Not just physically, but mentally. All the bits and pieces of our lives had led up to this moment, like some sort of broken plate that we both had to glue together.

Now that plate was ready to be used.

He collapsed beside me, breathing hard, and I feasted off of his sepia eyes. He gazed into mine with a tilt of his head, smiling at me like one would smile at a lover.

"Freddie… I _know _I love you."

"Sam… I know I love you."

I pressed my forehead into his bare chest.

And with that, we fell into a deep, warm sleep.

oOo

Yes. I did it. After about a week of debating whether or not to add the scene, I added the scene. And I am thrilled with it. Review if you loved it! Review if you only moderately liked it! Review if you hate it! I don't care, but it all makes me keep writing! :)


	11. Abrupt Endings to Australia

Once again, I awoke to the sound of slow, steady breaths and the feeling of hot tickling my face. As I opened my eyes, though, I didn't wish I hadn't.

Freddie's brown eyes came slamming into my own, like a warm chocolate tidal wave.

I smiled at his glowing features and ruffled hair. He looked so handsome in the tinted light. I finally knew what Mrs. Benson met when she would tell him he was so good looking.

"Hey," I half whispered, half croaked at the brown haired tech nerd. He smiled a little wider.

"Hey." He said back, and leaned in to kiss me on the forehead. I cuddle deeper into his warm, bare chest. I was glad for the tinted windows.

We stayed that way for a while, I in his large arms and he curling a single finger through my blond hair.

But, we had to move from there sooner or later, and it was I who broke the silence of movement.

I groaned as I stuck an arm behind my back and pushed myself up from the wide, rugged floor of the limo, ignoring Freddie's protesting moan.

"Oh, come on, Freddie. We need to get moving if we ever want to escape you moms evil clutches."

He sighed, but followed my lead in standing up. I started pulling my shirt and pants on, which had found their way through the window between the front and back seat, and was now resting on the driver's wheel.

Blushing slightly, but with a smile on my face none the less, I ran a few fingers through my hair in a vain attempt at taming its wild golden curls.

Freddie, who only needed to pull on his grey tee, watched me intently as I crouched slightly under the low ceiling.

"You know, you're beautiful." He said, and I laughed.

"Aw, you're so sweet. But we still gotta get moving." I pecked him on the lips with the statement.

I opened the doors, and a stream of light flooded in through the green trees above our car.

Squinting in the sunlight, I took a step out of the dark car and stretched my arms. Barefoot, I made my way onto the sidewalk, Freddie close behind.

And by close behind, I mean he grabbed me into a hug and pressed his chin over my blond head.

I giggled.

"Freddie, come on! I'm hungry, and you're really not helping my stomach by grabbing it like that!" he chuckled, kissing me on the cheek but letting go none the less.

I already missed his arms around me, but he filled the empty feeling by slinging an arm around my shoulder.

We started walking towards the end of the block, but a sudden jolt of feeling hit me in the gut. The same one I felt when we encountered the Goode twins at the Hilton.

_Oh no,_ I thought, but it was too late.

We had come face to face with Hollis Goode, his cheek harboring a large, purple bruise.

"Freddie, run! I'll take care of him!" I didn't have to say it twice. I felt him slid his arm off of my shoulder, and without a second to spare, I swung my leg right in the sweet spot.

Groaning in pain, he doubled over, and I ran towards Freddie, who hadn't gone to far from me. "Come on! Let's…" I started to drag him off towards the other end of the block, but stopped when I saw the frowning face of Holly Goode, and the more than furious face of Mrs. Benson, who was currently storming towards us.

"How dare you kidnap my poor, innocent Freddie! I aught to…"

"Mom! Stop it! She didn't kidnap me!" interrupted Freddie, who had placed a hand on my shoulder and stepped towards his mother.

Marissa looked taken aback. Her son had just shouted back at her, for the first time in years.

"F-Freddie! It's just some sort of Stockholm syndrome! Yeah, that's it. You're coming with me! We're going back to Seattle right now!" I felt a giant pair of hands grab my shoulders from behind; Hollis had recovered from my blow.

The same feeling, of something amazing dyeing. But no, it couldn't be.

We had made it real, made a fire from everything and anything that found its way into it. The flames were roaring now; the other night had sealed the deal.

And Mrs. Benson was the bucket of water that may very well douse the blaze.

I looked into Freddie's eyes, his warm, brown eyes.

And even though mine were about to brim with tears, his held a determined gaze that held me up.

I knew that we would make this work, despite the icy water that threatened to fall all over our flare of love.

No matter how much of a bitch that water was.

oOo

The steady hum of the plane was familiar, and reminded me of the night we had came to the country known as Australia.

I looked out the window and onto the runway; we hadn't taken off yet.

Mrs. Benson, the psychotic woman she was, had hand cuffed me and Freddie to the seat we were sharing. The third and aisle seat was being occupied by that woman, who kept drowning on in a shrill voice about 'Stockholm syndrome' and how I 'kidnapped her baby boy'.

I swear, I was just about ready to punch that woman straight in the jaw.

Freddie's hand around my own kept me restrained.

I turned towards him, smiling sadly. The fasten seatbelt sign dinged on.

He smiled back at me, his brown sepia pools bringing warmth into the cold emptiness of the plane; there were few people on the flight, as all were busy enjoying their vacation.

The plane started to move up the runway, faster and faster with each second I gazed into his eyes.

He leaned down, and kissed me on the lips.

We were in the air, the wings tilted so that he was leaning more into the kiss.

When we broke apart, completely unnoticed by Mrs. Benson, I wiped away a single tear that had fallen from my eye.

I gazed out the window, my hand firmly griping Freddie's.

And I thought I saw the purple glow of a Taco Bell sign in the evening sky.

oOo

It was about twelve hours into our trip when Marisa calmed down enough to actually ask us about our _'shenanigans'_, as she put it.

"We saw the Great Barrier reef, and did some more… personal things with our time." He smirked at me as he said this, and fortunately for us, she didn't catch his drift.

I snorted. That lady just tuned out anything she didn't want to hear.

The rest of the plane ride was silent, except for the occasional scolding from Mrs. Benson.

I mean, really. It wasn't like we robbed a bank or anything.

Like, we lived for a few days, away from the authority of the mainland.

We had done something different, and were being yelled at not to.

Life is a short thing. We are all going to die, so why not make the most of what we have?

I guess Mrs. Benson didn't get that, because the white noise of her high pitched voice lulled Freddie and me to sleep.

oOo

**Short, yes. But I should have updated RIGHT after I posted this one. A little treat for you guys. I LOVE YOU ALL! REVIEW!!!!!!! (please?)**


	12. Mad to Live

We walked, hand in hand down the long hallway.

Its familiar yellow walls had never been so strange to me; I had walked down them many times before.

But it wasn't the walk that made my heart skip a beat in fear. It was what lay waiting at the end.

Step by simultaneous step, and we were there. The dreaded spot where my confidence melted like an ice cube in the sun.

The place where my strong, sturdy pillars of love waiver.

This place was the Shay's front door.

I took a deep, shaky breath.

Looking up into Freddie's eyes, I gave him a nervous look. He gazed down at me, the nervousness absent from his eyes.

We had decided to tell her.

We had decided to take our promise with us.

But now, to me it seemed like the end and beginning of a new life.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked me, squeezing my hand tightly. I nodded.

"We need to get this out of the way. If we ever want to make this real, we'll need to start with telling our best friend."

Although my words were sure, my knees shook slightly.

I was usually so good with these kinds of things. But this? This wasn't some sort of small obstacle to overcome. This was a large roadblock that barricaded our new life from us.

Before I could say something more, he had captured his lips in my own, and was kissing me passionately, much like that night.

When we parted, I felt rejuvenated. Like a dyeing plant that had just been watered.

I turned towards the door, and with yet another deep breath, I pounded loudly on the door.

I had hoped for a few more seconds to mentally prepare myself, but almost as soon as I had rapped on the wood a third time, the door swung open and an overjoyed Carly stood there.

"Oh my god! Freddie, Sam, what happened?!" she squealed, and I winced.

"Jeez, Carls, could you tone it down a few million decibels?" I smirked at my best friend.

The smirk died on my lips when she noticed for the first time that our fingers were interlocked.

"Um… why are you guys holding hands?"

We stayed silent, but a small glance at each other out of the corner of our eyes and a slow smile that spread across our lips told her all she needed to know.

"Oh. My. God. Are you serious?!" she yelled, unbelievable joy sweeping through her voice.

I nodded slightly.

A glass shattering squeal was emitted from her mouth, and Freddie and I both covered our ears.

When she finally stopped, or started, as she began to bombard us with questions.

"Oh my god, I KNEW you guys were cute together! Tell me what you guys did! Tell me! No need for deets, just a rough summary! Please? Please, please, please?"

She pushed us onto the couch, then she herself took a seat on the recliner across from it.

"Okay, okay. Let's just say it was… rated M for mature." I said slyly, looking at Freddie with a very suggestive look.

"Oh. It was _that _kind of vacation." She smiled widely and knowingly.

My god, and that was embarrassing enough _without_ the deets.

"Well, we have SO much to talk about! Like what else happened on you trip, dating, all that stuff…" I didn't hear the rest of her sentence, because once again I fell head over heels into Freddie's warm brown eyes.

I was in love with a dork, a nerd, a first kiss, and a first.

But more importantly, I was in love with _my _dork, _my _nerd, _my _first kiss, _my _first.

Love didn't quite describe the feelings I felt when I kissed him, when I looked at him.

Like the feeling of his fingers through my hair after I through up.

Like the most amazing taco that never passed my lips.

Like the millions of colors that lay under water.

Like the pure ecstasy of sex on the floor of a stolen limo.

And yet, it fit all of those things so perfectly.

_I was mad to live,_ I thought.

And I was glad I lived with him.

**The End **

oOo

**Thank you so much for all your support through this journey that I like to call my completed goal: A finished Seddie fic over ten chapters. Now, I can start on my next endeavor; a Seddie fic over twenty. Please, wait for the next addition to my Seddie collection. Your reviews were amazing, and I love each and every one of you. I will see you in my next fiction, which will hopefully be called **_**iLive my List.**_

**Love, **

**Yellow**


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